


Fresh Starts

by cordeliadelayne



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dancing, F/M, Getting Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-07
Updated: 2016-01-07
Packaged: 2018-05-12 10:44:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5663368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cordeliadelayne/pseuds/cordeliadelayne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Ministry holds a ball to celebrate Voldemort's defeat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fresh Starts

**Author's Note:**

> For inell and originally posted to Livejournal in 2006.

If there was one thing the Wizarding World knew how to do, it was celebrate the defeat of Voldemort.

The Ministry had opened up its ballroom (“What the hell is a ballroom doing there?” Ron had demanded. “It’s for training ninja dancers,” Luna had replied.) to members of the Ministry, their families, and the Order of the Phoenix, all of whom had been honoured that morning. It was to be a masked ball, and had generated more than a little excitement for the women, though the men had been slightly more reticent.

“It will be fun, Severus,” Remus had been overheard to say. The look he had received in return would have melted stone.

Hermione was slightly more enthusiastic than Snape, but not by much. With Ron deciding that he wanted to “find himself” before settling down with anyone, never mind her, she couldn’t think of anything worse than a large party where she was supposed to dress up. Memories of the Yule Ball kept dancing before her. She didn’t want this Victory Ball to end up the same way.

“Cheer up,” Ginny told her as they browsed in the clothes shop together. “It will be fun.”

Hermione glanced over at her, attempting a Snape-ish glare but only succeeding in giving Ginny a fit of the giggles.

“I don’t know why we have to...”

“Because we won. And not everyone’s dead...” And in a smaller voice... “Because Fred and George would have wanted us to. They would have provided the entertainment.”

Hermione turned round to see Ginny gulping back tears and running her hand over a silk dress. She was right, this wasn’t about her, this was about everyone who’d sacrificed themselves for the greater good. Thinking about it like that made Hermione feel much better.

“Well, you can’t wear that. That shade and your hair will be horrible.”

Ginny wiped her eyes on the back her sleeve. “Right. I was thinking of it for you actually.”

“Really? You think...”

+++++++++++++

Several hours later and Ginny and Hermione returned to the Burrow. Harry was there, trying not to fidget as Mrs Weasley adjusted his dress robes and Snape and Lupin were in the corner, deep in conversation with Kingsley Shacklebolt.

“Is everything all right?” Ginny asked her mother, indicating the corner.

“Of course dear,” Mrs Weasley replied, but there were tight lines around her mouth as she fought to keep silent.

Snape was naturally the first person to notice that they had arrived. He touched Lupin on the arm. “Perhaps we should continue this conversation elsewhere.”

Kingsley straightened and looked appraisingly at Hermione and Ginny. Hermione, to her mortification, found herself blushing. “Good idea Severus. Ladies, I trust I’ll see you all at the Ball tonight?” Although he was addressing everyone it was clear that his eyes were only for Hermione who could only nod slightly. She missed the significant look Snape and Lupin exchanged as they followed Kingsley out of the kitchen.

“Everything is all right, isn’t it Harry?” Hermione asked.

“Yeah. Snape’s just worried about the Death Eaters the Ministry “misplaced”.”

“And what do you think?”

“I think I’ve learned to trust Snape’s instincts,” he replied gravely. Hermione nodded. “Best to keep your wand handy tonight, okay?”

“Right.”

“Harry dear, you have to stay still...”

“Sorry Mrs Weasley,” Harry replied, rolling his eyes good naturedly at his future mother-in-law.

Hermione and Ginny slinked out of the kitchen a few minutes later. They would need to get to the bathroom before any one else so they could get ready in peace.

+++++++++++

The Ball Room looked magnificent. Hundreds of people were milling about in spectacular dresses and robes, holding up elaborate masks to their faces. The ceiling had been spelled to reveal a starry night full of fireworks. The lacquered floor was twinkling from the glitter that was falling from the ceiling like snow, the band were tuning up their instruments and the decorations around the room (red fire plants, floating sparklers) added to the celebration.

Hermione, Ginny and Harry were standing off to one side of the main doors, waiting to make their entrance. The new Minister of Magic, Aurelius Dingman, had insisted that Harry and his fiancée make a grand entrance down the staircase and despite his grumbling Harry had acquiesced. After tonight he would go away for a while and try to deal with the past year, but that would have to wait, as Ginny was impatiently tugging at his sleeve.

“We need to move, Harry. Honestly.” Ginny grinned at Hermione. “You look lovely.”

“Yeah, Hermione, you don’t look bad.”

“Thanks, Harry,” Hermione replied. “Remind me again why you’re marrying him?” she jokily asked Ginny.

“Not for his sense of humour, that’s for sure.”

“All right, you two, come on Ginny...Hermione, you sure you don’t want to walk out with us?”

“I’ll be fine, Harry. You two have your moment. I’ll wait till the music’s started and slip in then.”

“Okay. See you on the other side.”

++++

Hermione waited patiently for Harry to make his grand entrance amid much cheering and exploding of rockets. She peeked around the corner and saw that both he and Ginny were handling the attention better than she would be. Even going up to pick up her Order of Merlin had been an ordeal.

Finally the music began to play and Hermione walked to the top of the steps and began to descend, the Yule Ball still playing on her mind. She did think she was looking quite pretty today, but that had been down to a lot of work and Ginny’s not inconsiderable help. Her hair was lightly waved and cascading around her shoulders, held away from her face by a bright red dragonfly hair clip, whose tail fluttered every so often. Her red flowered dress shimmered as she walked and fit her curves perfectly and the piece de resistance, her black shoes with red sequin detailing made her feel like she was floating. As she proceeded down the steps she could feel several pairs of eyes turning to look at her and then as the band began to play a familiar dance tune, strong arms took her by the waist and whisked her off her feet and onto the dance floor.

She moved automatically to the rhythm of the music, feeling faint as she was twirled around by the man before her, his face covered by a black mask. But there was no mistaking who it was as his bald head would testify. It was Kingsley who had her in a firm embrace, Kingsley who she trusted to spin her around and grab her back. Kingsley who never once stood on her feet or got out of breath, or seemed the least bit uncomfortable.

“Would you like a drink?” Kingsley asked as the next dance began. 

“Yes, please,” Hermione panted, feeling slightly dizzy. Kingsley grinned at her and led her towards the drinks table where he poured her a glass of punch and then gently nudged her outside to the balcony. The cool night time air and the rum in the punch soon revived Hermione’s spirits.

“You dance very well.”

“Thank you,” Kingsley replied with an exaggerated bow. “As do you.”

A dash of red hair caught Hermione’s eye over Kingsley’s shoulder but she couldn’t make out who it belonged to.

“I was hoping we could talk.”

Hermione turned back to Kingsley who had now removed his mask and was looking very serious. She froze. It had been a few months since she and Ron had broken up, though they had hardly been dating at all and she and Kingsley had often flirted even before then. But now, now she wasn’t sure exactly what this meant. Whenever Kingsley looked at her her face flushed and her heart raced but she couldn’t...she couldn’t possibly...

“I wondered...” There was an awkward pause whiles Kingsley composed himself, “I wondered if you would like to have dinner with me, tomorrow night.”

“Dinner?”

“...yes?” The look on Hermione’s face was hard to place; it didn’t look like disgust but it wasn’t good either.

Hermione didn’t know what to say. She and Ron...

“I’d love to.” All right, perhaps she did know what to say after all. Kingsley’s beaming smile only confirmed that she had made the right decision. Though she was slightly startled when he began to undo his jacket and reach inside his trousers pocket. Unconsciously she took a step back.

Kingsley only continued to beam at her as he produced a thin black box and held it out to her.

“What’s this?”

“Open it.”

Curiously she did so only for her hands to falter when she saw it was an exquisite set of pearls. She gingerly ran her fingers along them.

“Oh, these are beautiful. I couldn’t possibly...”

“Yes, you can. The minute I saw that dress I knew that peals would be the perfect accompaniment.”

“But when did you?...” But then she thought back to the way Ginny had started to behave in the third shop they’d gone to, picking up dresses and holding them to the window, claiming that the light was better when she did that, but hardly letting Hermione have a look until she saw the dress she had eventually bought.

“You were there?”

Kingsley had the decency to look slightly abashed, though not by much. “I wanted to surprise you.”

Normally Hermione would be quite annoyed that someone had gone behind her back like this, but she supposed that Kingsley did have a compelling reason.

“All right, I’ll wear the pearls, but you have to let me pay for dinner tomorrow. And drinks.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Kingsley took the pearls from her hand and stood behind her so he could fasten the clasp. “You know,” he mused, his hand moving down her back and across to the top of her thigh, his breath tickling her loose strands of hair, “the neck isn’t the only place pearls are good for.” And then as the music filtered out to them once more, Kingsley spun her around, his hand rubbing against her hip for a fraction of a second before he was propelling an extremely red faced Hermione onto the dance floor.

“Perhaps this will be fun after all,” Snape noted sardonically to Lupin as he leaned against the wall, watching the dancing crowds. Lupin’s only response was to pull him into another kiss.


End file.
